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Bone-in lamb pieces in a dark red wine sauce with onions and fresh dill in a cast-iron pot on a wooden table

Sifnos Lamb Mastelo: Slow-Braised in Red Wine and Dill

Bone-in lamb shoulder is browned, then braised in red wine, onions, garlic and dill in a Dutch oven until it pulls off the bone.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 112
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg bone-in lamb shoulder cut into 8 large pieces
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt divided
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions large (about 350 g); halved and sliced 5 mm thick
  • 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 250 ml dry red wine
  • 250 ml water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 40 g fresh dill (1 large bunch); fronds chopped, divided into two equal piles

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 160 C / 320 F with a rack in the lower third. Pat the lamb dry with paper towels and season it all over with 1 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a 28 cm / 11-inch Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown half the lamb for 7 to 8 minutes, turning with tongs, until all sides are deep brown. Move it to a plate and brown the second batch the same way.
  3. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 3 minutes until reduced by about one third. Return the lamb and any juices to the pot, then add the water, bay leaves and half of the dill. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat. I hold the other half of the dill back because dill that cooks for hours turns dull and loses its fresh taste.
  5. Cover with the lid and bake for 2 hours 15 minutes. Check one piece with a fork. The meat should pull away from the bone easily and read about 90 C / 195 F in the thickest part.
  6. Remove the lid and bake for 20 more minutes, until the tops of the lamb pieces are browned at the edges and the sauce looks slightly thicker.
  7. Take the pot out of the oven, remove the bay leaves, and let it rest, loosely covered, for 15 minutes. Skim the fat from the surface with a wide spoon, stir in the remaining dill, then taste the sauce and add a pinch of salt if it needs it. Serve in wide bowls with the sauce spooned over.

Notes

  • Brown the lamb in two batches so the pieces sear instead of steam.
  • Keep the pot tightly covered during the first 2 hours 15 minutes to hold in moisture.
  • Skim the fat after the 15 minute rest, when it has risen to the top.
  • Add the second half of the dill off the heat so it stays green.